With his side facing Sunderland on Sunday, Gutierrez added that the Tyne-Wear rivalry brings back memories of the passion generated by the heated derby matches he experienced back in Argentina, albeit without the infamous violence which accompany them.

“I love the passion," he revealed. "The fans don't care if we play well or not. Three points is the aim. It's the same for the players. We know we have to win. Simple as that.

"Everyone I see in the street, all they say is that we have to win this game. But we are confident, even if their new manager has come in and done very well.

"In Argentina the derby I was involved with was Velez Sarsfield v San Lorenzo. It's not like River Plate v Boca but still one of the biggest derbies in Argentina.

"If you lose angry fans will go down to the training ground to complain. Luckily that never happened to me because we got good results.

"People die in South America at matches which just isn't right. The violence is wrong. Fans in England love football the same but channel their passion in a different way."